Ember of the World
by IdleDots
Summary: Amidst the chaos that is Dagur the Deranged and Viggo Grimborn, the Riders find yet another threat lurking in the shadows. And they're out for blood. Hiccup/OC
1. Prologue

_This story is rated **M** for some mature scenes, some strong language, violence, gore _

_This story also begins at **Maces and Talons Pt 1 (S3, Ep 25)** in Race to the Edge and will most likely stray from the tv series as the story goes on._

 ** _Disclaimer:_** _I do not own How to Train your Dragon or the tv series._

* * *

 **Prologue**

Tired eyes fought desperately against the inviting whispers of sleep as he stood in his station at the watch tower. His dangerous affair with gambling had led him to watch their camp sight for the whole night. His drowsy mind managed to figure out the time, an hour or two after midnight by the position of the moon.

A calloused hand reached up to rub his face, hoping to force the sleep away but to no avail. He looked over his shoulder to peek at the camp. The dim light from the dying embers managed to trace the sleeping silhouettes of his comrades. _Lucky drunk bastards,_ he thought.

He suppressed a yawn and shook his head as another attempt to rid off sleep's seduction. Half lidded eyes scanned the area for gods knows how many times, finding the same moonlit field and trees. He was suppose to keep watch for any intruders- not that he'd expect to find any, they're in the middle of nowhere for gods' sake!- and wild animals trying to sneak in and attack. He didn't know why any of those should be any concern when far more dangerous things lurk in the dark. Like dragons.

His face scrunched in disgust at the thought of those blood-thirsty beasts. His body was littered with scars, every one of them placed by the claws of a dragon and every one of them dead- he buried his axe in each of their heads. His chest puffed with pride.

A faint sound of footsteps in the treeline caught his attention. The night was silent enough he could hear a pin drop. He narrowed his eyes at the area, not a breeze passed by in the last few hours that could only mean…

He abruptly stood from his stool, leaning over the railing and scanned the area with narrowed eyes. His hand hovered over the horn on his side, ready to sound the alarm if he spots the intruder.

A rustle by the bushes and his eyes darted to the sound, his hand reached past the horn and to the handle of his sword. Another rustle and this time it was closer. He was about to yell out a warning when a blur darted out from the bushes and stared at him.

It was a fox.

He clicked his tongue in annoyance and threw a pebble at the at the creature making it scurry away. "Yer lucky I didn't skin ya and turn ya fur into a pelt," he mumbled at its retreating figure.

He walked back to his stool, that sudden surge of adrenaline drained so much energy from his already tired body, when a hand clamped itself tightly in his mouth, muffling his surprised cry.

He made a move to struggle but something cold pressed itself against his neck, stopping him completely. He dared to peek at the intruder over his shoulder but he never got the chance as the dagger slid easily across his neck. Red seeped from the wound, staining his clothes and dropped to the floor. His killer released him as he choked on his own blood, shaking hands trying to stop the blood from flowing but he dropped to the floor, wide eyes beholding the dark cloaked figure looming over him, watching him die.

Blood spewed from his mouth as he tried to say his last words. He struggled to say the words as his mouth only spoke in garbled sounds. He felt his life being taken away from him and he glared hatefully at his killer.

" _Curse… Curse… you… t-to… Hel!"_


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

The Silent Storm

The angry waters of the sea were a prelude to the oncoming storm racing down to the Edge. Hiccup Haddock sat by the brazier inside the clubhouse, tinkering away at the Dragon Eye, Toothless, who laid beside his feet, perked up at the distant sound of thunder. He growled as the booming thunder sounded closer than before, alerting Hiccup of his growing distress.

"Hey, hey, it's okay, bud," Hiccup soothed, patting the Night Fury's head until he eased down.

After the events concerning the dragon hunters almost capturing the Skrill less than a week ago, Toothless has been uneasy at the sight of a storm and it didn't help that a storm had visited the island almost every day for the past week. Hiccup didn't really know why Toothless had become so skittish even though he made peace with the Skrill when he decided to release it.

"It's just a bit of thunder, don't worry about it, alright?" Hiccup turned back to the Dragon Eye and started to tinker once more, prodding at the same intricate designs on the contraption and pressing the same buttons near the lens."But if you think about it, the bad weather might be a good thing. It means Dagur and Ryker are stuck on an island until the weather clears enough to give them smooth sailing, giving us enough time to plan and free the dragons they've captured. With all the delays they're probably not too far ahead."

Toothless grumbled at his rant, resting his head on his paws and continued to gaze wearily at the dark clouds approaching. Soon the dark clouds pushed away the clear skies and rain poured heavily on the island, like tiny catapults of water trying tirelessly to break through the roof. The rest of the riders arrived shortly after the fourth clap of thunder, soaked to the bone, followed by their dragons.

"These storms must really love this island to come visit by almost every day," said Fishlegs, shivering as he came over to warm himself over the fire.

"Yeah, no kidding, this is like the fifth storm this week, what's up with that?" Tuffnut said, shaking his head furiously like a dog, trying to rid his hair of rain water, droplets of water flying everywhere much to everyone's annoyance.

"Tuff quit it!" Hiccup said, shielding his face with his arms. When the long haired blonde stopped with a sheepish smile, he sighed. "I don't know why either but I'll take it as a good thing, this storm will delay Dagur and the dragon hunters from sailing to the sea, it would be too dangerous anyway and it would give us time to prepare for our next rescue mission."

"But don't you think it's weird that a week long storm comes by out of the blue?" Astrid said, sitting next to him with a plate of yak meat and a loaf of bread.

"Or maybe, that Skrill could still be following us after we tried to trap it in that glacier again…" Fishlegs whimpered, hugging Meatlug close.

"I don't think so, Fishlegs, besides I think we've left on good terms." A thankful bow from the fearsome dragon was not hard to miss when it was standing right in front of them.

"Skrill-shmill! Shouldn't we be more focused on what we're going to do? I mean, what if this storm goes on for a few more weeks? Are we just going to sit here all day and do nothing? I'm bored!" Snotlout said through a mouthful of yak. Fishlegs scrunched his face in disgust as a piece of yak landed near his arm and he subtly tried to scoot away from the messy eater.

"The storm will clear, just don't worry about it and if it doesn't then we'll fly to the hunters as soon as the rain stops, happy?" Hiccup rose his brows as Snotlout looked thoughtful, but a smug smirk was plastered on his lips.

"Hm… So-so," he motioned with his hand, making Hiccup roll his eyes.

His fingers absentmindedly traced the engravings and designs of the Dragon Eye. His thoughts turned to the band of dragon hunters and Dagur. He worried that Ryker and his men have turned impatient and had ridden the seas long ago despite the dangerous weather, leaving them in the dust. His hand unconsciously gripped the Dragon Eye, making his knuckles turn white and Toothless gave a small whimper at the sight of his subtle display of anxiety.

He felt a nudge to his side and he turned to find Astrid staring at him in concern. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I-I'm fine… I'm just- I've got a bad feeling about something."

"About Ryker and Dagur?"

"No, uh, I mean yes! Ugh, I can't explain it," Hiccup rubbed his forehead. "A tiny part of that bad feeling is the dragon hunters and Dagur but the other part is for… something else?"

"What else could it possibly be other than Dagur and the dragon hunters? They're the only things that we've been focusing on right now, duh!" Snotlout said, chugging down his cider.

"So this gut feeling you have," Astrid began. "You think that it's something other than Ryker. Something bigger? Should we be worried?"

"Since when did start trusting a 'gut feeling' huh?" Tuffnut said. "We've had lots of those and yet nobody listens to us." Ruffnut nodded with her brother with arms crossed, staring at them with raised brows.

"Maybe because your gut feelings result to either chaos, a burnt watch tower, and massive explosions," Fishlegs pointed out.

"Hm, fair point."

Hiccup shook his head at their antics and he looked back at the item in his hand. It was then that he managed to place a name on that bad feeling. It was dread.

Dagur watched silently from the entrance of his tent as the dragon hunters hauled in their recently captured dragons. They didn't seem bothered by the rain or the mud that clung to their skin. They had ported on the nearest island as soon as they saw the dark clouds roll in, Ryker and his men didn't waste any time to search the place for dragons. They've been stuck there for four days and he's getting impatient.

Ryker suddenly came into his line of sight, looking completely in rage as he stomped past the muddy earth and towards a group crowding around a caged dragon. The wheel of the carriage it sat on was stuck in the mud and the hunters were having trouble getting it out. The large man roughly pushed aside the nearest hunter, making Dagur giggle madly as he landed in a puddle of mud.

"What's so funny?" A voice said beside him.

He turned to find his sister, Heather, pull back her hood and wipe the droplets of water her cloak had collected. Vivid green eyes stared at him curiously and he shrugged, turning his attention back to the amusing display before him.

"Nothing, nothing at all, sister." He chuckled again as Ryker took a man by his tunic and shoved him to the cage, the Monstrous Nightmare inside nearly grabbing hold of the man with its talons.

Heather followed his line of vision and rose her brow. "Ryker's getting grumpier than usual."

"Well, what do you expect? We've been here for four days, there's nothing to do and the rain could ruin our supplies if it keeps up. I can't blame, Rykie, though, he's supposed to bring the dragons back to the base two days ago," Dagur says nonchalantly, taking his battleax and running a finger on the blade. "He did say something about leaving tomorrow in the early morning if the storm stops and if the sea calmer than it is now. Oh, but those lovely bolts of lightning reminds me of my Skrill," his face suddenly shifted into anger. "Curse you, Hiccup!"

Heather stayed silent as she watched her brother's eye twitch and his snarl deepen. She reminded herself to send Hiccup a message concerning Ryker's plan for tomorrow, she had a feeling that the rest of the riders were feeling restless. She hasn't had a proper flight with Windshear the past four days, the storm always came before she could even hop on the saddle.

"Heather!" A voice snapped her out of her train of thought and she found herself staring at the annoyed face of Dagur. "Hello, are you in there? Did you suddenly turn deaf or something?"

"S-sorry, I was lost in thought, what were you saying?" She cursed herself for being so careless, she didn't want Dagur suspecting anything, he's unpredictable.

Dagur rolled his eyes. "I said that there's something that our dear Ryker is hiding from us."

"What do you mean?"

"Can't you see it? Well, I'm not really surprised with all that day dreaming you've been doing," Dagur let out a laugh at his own joke and Heather had to bite her tongue to keep from shooting back a remark. "Anyway, I overheard him talking about a client and some hefty amount of gold that he said they've been leeching off from the dragon hunters' stash, must be another reason why he's in such a bad mood."

Client? What client? Were Ryker and his men collecting dragons for this 'client' of theirs? Is that why he was making a fuss about being late because every second passed would be a gold coin fee for this so-called client? She thought they held auctions for the dragons. She had to tell Hiccup about this new information.

Heather faked a yawn, catching her brother's attention. "I'm going to retire for the night, see you in the morning."

She pulled her hood up and walked to her tent, hearing Dagur's voice calling to her despite the deluge. "Sleep well, sister. May your dreams be sweeter than honey."

The dark chuckle that followed only promised her nightmares.

Somewhere towards the east, inside a bar full of drunken men, sat a hooded figure sitting at a table in the corner, a plate of cheese and tasteless bread sat before them, untouched. They watched in silence as the drunken men clinked their glasses and sang slurred jigs. The reached out and grabbed hold of the bread, intending to take a chunk out when the plate flew across the room and hit the opposite wall.

The heavily cloaked stranger paused, the loaf of bread in their hand being saved from the same fate as the cheese. Two beefy hands gripped the corners of the table, catching their attention.

"I ain't seen yer face here before..." the deep voice said, but in his drunken state it sounded more like: 'I yai' zee ye faze 'ere b'fur.' The man leaned closer, eyes squinting and sour breath managing to travel under the figure's hood. The leaned back to avoid the smell, tearing a small chunk from the loaf.

"Oi, I'm talkin' to ya, ya lazy, drunk bastard!" Nobody seemed to hear him, his loud insult fell short to the loud singing around them. The stranger merely placed the chunk of bread underneath their hood to eat.

"Deaf are ya? Yer face must be as horrid as a yak if yer hidin it, eh boys?" He shouted over his shoulder to no one in particular. When he saw no reaction from the stranger he leaned forward, almost tipping himself over, to slap the bread off of their hand. "Aye? What's that? Ya wanna fight?"

The man delivered a drunken swipe at the stranger, completely missing as it sailed over their head. He instead lost his grip on the table and planted his face on the wooden floor, his mind dizzy. He tried to get up on his feet and surprise the stranger with another swing but he was forced back down, nose pressing painfully against the wooden floor. He cried out as the boot pressed harder against his head, the jovial and boisterous singing drowning out his cries.

Despite his drunken state, he could hear the warning bells in his head and he had enough strength to turn his head and stare up at the shadow underneath the hood. His eyes caught the glint of a dagger underneath the stranger's fur cloak and it was then he knew that he was staring straight at the face of death.

He suddenly felt the wetness in his pants and smelled the scent of his urine. He began to blubber apologies but they paid no heed, when he began to call for help, the toe of their boot dug on his lips, drawing blood. He watched fearfully as the dagger drew closer and closer.

Nobody in the bar could ever hear the muffled cries of the dying man, too drunk and loud to pay attention to anything else other than their mead. Nobody would take notice of the body lying on the floor, thinking nothing of the drunk man laying on his on waste, not until the early morning when they kick out the other drunken men, a puddle of blood covered his front where a dagger dug deep into his chest.

Nobody will know that his killer was already traveling across the sea to the waters of the Barbaric Archipelago.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Mystery Man

It seemed that the god of thunder had heard their pleas and in the early morning they had set out to the dragon hunter's location, following the directions in Heather's letter. The storm had left no dark clouds and a perfect sky stood in in its place, the slight chill in the air was the only clue to the deluge that happened yesterday. The dragon riders left in the early morning to catch up with the dragon hunters, many still drowsy from sleep but once they caught sight of the distinct shape of a boat in the horizon, they were alert and wide awake. Hiccup ordered them to hide above the clouds and make sure to slow their pace as he discussed the plan.

"So basically, swoop down, distract the dragon hunters while you break in and free the dragons," Tuffnut summarized after Hiccup's long explanation.

"Yes, Tuffnut… tha-that's it," Hiccup sighed exasperatedly. The boat started getting closer until they were almost above it, he turned back once more to look at the group. "Remember the plan, alright. Dive in and watch out for-"

"Chaos and destruction, here they come!" the twins yelled in unison and dived towards the boats, the rest following behind them.

"-the arrows," Hiccup finished, rolling his eyes. He leaned forward and patted Toothless' head. "Let's go, bud."

Flaming boulders were already being catapulted to the dragon hunters by the time he dived past the clouds. He easily dodged one coming his way, spotting Ryker and Dagur on the larger ships. His eyes narrowed as he caught the dragon hunter's furious gaze. He spotted Heather about to mount Windshear, both sharing a look.

"Shoot the catapults!" He said to Astrid once he flew swiftly past her. He knew his order was fulfilled when he heard the explosion from the other boat.

"Arrows coming next!" Astrid warned, just as a barrage of arrows flew past them.

Hiccup saw two hunters aiming at Fishlegs and Astrid and sped in front of them, Snotlout seeming to have the same idea, turned their dragons, the lethal arrows were deflected by the armor on the dragon's underbellies. Amidst the chaos, he could hear the boastful chanting of; 'Snotlout, Snotlout, Oi,Oi, Oi!' from the Viking himself.

As the hunters began firing their weapons, Hiccup saw his opportunity. The metal bars leading below deck was unguarded and he directed Toothless to fly up to give them a flying start. "Alright, bud, let's set these guys free." Hiccup pressed himself against Toothless as they dove in, breaking open the metal door with a single plasma blast.

He took just a seconds glance at the miserable caged dragons before getting to work, opening every cage with the lever hanging above them. "Let's go! You're free!" He secured himself and dashed back at the entrance, hearing the rest of the dragon's joyful roar from behind him and he grinned.

He, along with Astrid and Fishlegs, herded the dragon's away from the ships, leaving Snotlout and the twins to follow.

"I keep saying don't underestimate them and what do you do? YOU UNDERESTIMATE THEM!"

Ryker ignored the chieftain, swiftly lifting his arm to deflect the Nadder spine with his metal arm brace. His blank face eyed the retreating dragon riders coldly, a sneer threatening to form on his lips.

"Somebody is giving them information." Those riders could never have known they were going to leave before the rose, they could never have even known their location. As far as he knew their so-called base was miles away, perhaps even more, and their plan to sail as soon as possible couldn't possibly have been discovered when they were cooped up in an island for days. Not a ship was seen sailing the seas with that storm controlling the raging waters. Unless...

He looked up and narrowed his eyes at the dark haired rider speeding past them. "Someone who knows our every move."

He watched the boy chief's sister chase after one of the riders, shooting his dragon but missing entirely but managing to separate him from its dragon. Ryker grit his teeth at that. She was in range and yet she missed, not even making a move to finish the job as the rider fell towards the water, only to be caught by the two blond siblings riding the Zippleback.

Ryker remained watching the black haired girl despite the yelling of his men hauling in the Monstrous Nightmare that was netted. He only ripped his gaze away when an explosion happened on the front deck, giving the three riders their chance to escape. He stomped his way towards Dagur when the blonde rider with the Nadder appeared and faced off against Heather.

"Finish her!" He gave a frustrated growl when that damned dragon with metal scales dropped down to the deck after a single spine hit it on its tail. The dragon riders slowly disappeared as they flew towards the horizon.

Ryker walked in front of the girl and her dragon, not flinching as it hissed. "What were you doing up there?"

Heather stood and got close to him, glaring. "You have something to say, Ryker?"

"Something didn't look right."

"Yeah, which part? You giving her a heads up I was there or you doing nothing, leaving me exposed?"

Ryker unsheathed his blade from his back with a growl. He was sick of the girl's tongue. Four days of being stuck on the same island, four days of heavy rain, four days worth of dragons collected, only to be ruined by those dragon riders in a few hours. "Look here, girl, I've lost enough dragons to those dragon riders and if we weren't lucky enough to land on an island full of em' every couple of days, I would be returning to Viggo empty handed and believe me when I say that you won't feel so welcome without those dragons. Now loosen up your tongue before I do it for you." He made a move to give her a warning when he felt a pair of hands grip his arm tightly. He looked over his shoulder to find the young chief himself.

"Now, now, let's not get too crazy," Dagur said as Ryker wrenched his arm away from the deranged red-head, watching as he walked next to his sister.

"You're talkin to me about crazy?" Ryker scoffed in disbelief.

"Let me put it in another way. If you touch one hair from my sister's head, I'll run you through and wear your rib cage as my battle armor," Dagur finished with an evil grin, staring straight into the dragon hunter's eyes.

Ryker grunted in annoyance as he placed his blade back in his sheath, glaring heavily at the still grinning Berserker in front of him. One of the hunters hurried towards him, gaining the groups attention.

"We're headed back to the island."

Ryker scowled. "On whose orders? We're a ship full of dragons short from our quota."

"Viggo's. He says that you come immediately before it arrives at the base. He's waiting."

Ryker's hands balled into fists and he glanced at the siblings. "We'll let him settle this. Set the ships to full sail! I want us there before sundown!"

Heather watched the man walk away, trying to calm her racing heart. That was a close one. She heard Dagur let out a breezy sigh. "What do you know about Viggo?" If what Ryker hinted about Viggo was true, then she wanted to be prepared and get as much information from Viggo for the riders in the Edge and for herself.

"Oh. Just that he's pretty much the opposite of our Rykie."

"How so?"

"Svelte. Smart. And, when I say smart, I mean supposedly cleverer than me, which is almost inconceivable, it's really hard to fathom and I'm still gonna need some proof," Dagur stammered which escalated into his maniacal laugh. "It's impossible! Who could be- But that's what they say."

Heather had begun to smile at the sound of her brother's laugh but caught herself before it became too obvious. She refused to believe that his deranged personality had begun to grow on her. She decided that she should switch to another person of interest, seeing as she's getting almost nothing about Viggo.

"How about this client Ryker's still getting heated about? Heard anything new?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah, right, I got news, little tiny news, but still news," Dagur shrugged. "Apparently our mystery client is, as you've heard, taking a short visit to meet with Viggo, I'm guessing to collect the dragons but since more than half of them have escaped they'll sure be disappointed."

Heather furrowed her brows. "But don't they hold auctions for the dragons? Why would Viggo make an exception for one person?"

Dagur shrugged once again, making Heather let out a small breath to release her annoyance. "Who knows? Not me, for sure. I mean, I only got bits and pieces from the others so it might not be true." He suddenly turned to her with a raised brow. "Why the sudden interest?"

"N-Nothing. I mean, it's not like I'm the only one who's curious. Aren't you?" She replied, managing to quickly hide her surprise when Dagur rounded up on her. He was unpredictable like that.

Dagur stared at her for a moment more, vivid green eyes seem to stare into her soul and he suddenly let out a laugh. "Of course! Why else would I be listening to all this juicy gossip?"

Heather gave him a hesitant smile before she was suddenly held tightly in his muscular arms. "Isn't this great? We're finally having some bonding time! The two of us together!" Dagur happily said and pulled back to look at her with a grin, a hand on her shoulder. He suddenly narrowed his eyes, surprising her as his face turned dark and his voice low, "What were you doing up there?"

It was the sudden shift of his mood that caught her off guard and her mind took too long to process his question. Luckily, Dagur suddenly laughed and exclaimed, "Gotcha! You are too easy!" She refrained from letting out a sigh of relief, catching herself as Dagur threw an arm around her shoulders. "Now, let's go meet this Viggo Grimborn," he exaggerated his name, laughing madly as he walked away.

Heather let her smile drop as she stared at her brother's back.

They arrived at the island just as it turned dark, only adding to Ryker's annoyance. The island was farther than she thought and she was sure that the place was not very well known as she saw the dangerous path they had to tread with their ships. The signs of many shipwrecks proved that no one had lived to speak of the island's location.

While the hunters unloaded the cargo, Ryker ordered them to follow him and so here she was, walking down a spiral path that leads to the lone tent in the middle of a pool of water. The rib cages of large dragons decorated the path, making make-shift stairs and she suppressed a shiver.

They reached the large tent, seeming to be held up by the bones of another dragon, its skull placed menacingly in the front. She could see Dagur eyeing the place and smiled as if he were impressed, while she put up a blank face as they neared the tent.

Ryker opened the flaps and she was greeted by the sight of Viggo Grimborn himself, sitting in front of a table, not even looking up at them as he fiddled with a small carved item in his hand. Heather tensed at the sight of the leader of the dragon hunters.

"They say there are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true. The other... is to refuse to believe what is," he held up the item, finally looking up at the newcomers with a smirk. He got up from his seat and walked towards them, stopping in front of the trio as he stared at the game piece."Maces and Talons. I began playing with my grandfather when I was just a boy. I always insisted upon being the Honorable Viking Chief. I could never understand how he bested me time and time again."

She caught Dagur looking at her with a raised brow as if he were asking if this really was Ryker's brother. She had to admit, the man did make such an enigmatic introduction and she was immediately intimidated, though she refused to show it. She turned to look back at Viggo when he began to speak again.

"For years, I assumed his skill transcended mine. I believed what wasn't true. But, you see, in Maces and Talons, as in life, the line between good and evil is often unclear." He struck the piece against the hanging lamp, holding the piece up as the light swung back and forth, making the room eerier than it was. "Black and white can become gray so easily. What one soul considers evil, another might consider righteous. The Honorable Chief who fails to see this is found to be... the fool." He had returned to his desk to place the piece back on the board, striking it down with one of the small mace piece.

Heather bit her tongue as he turned to look at them once more, catching the glint in his eye as he strode towards Ryker with open arms. "Welcome. Brother!" Ryker returned the embrace, though Heather could see that he clearly didn't enjoy it.

Viggo pulled back, holding his brother's chin, his expression was darker. "You're late. Lucky for you, our special guest has yet to arrive." Ryker grunted, the corner of his lip twitching downwards. "You must be weary, brother. I understand that the dragon trade is an exhausting business."

A loud commotion suddenly erupted from outside the tent, catching their attention. Heather moved aside as the flaps opened to reveal a man dragging behind another dragon hunter. He threw the fearful hunter to Viggo's feet with a grunt, the leader of the dragon hunters stared at him with an unimpressed face, brow raised. Heather watched intently at the scene as a sick feeling entered her gut.

"Even more so when profits wane because inventory goes missing." Viggo unsheathed his blade making the man jump.

"V-Viggo, I only borrowed the hide to exchange for food. It wasn't missing for more than a day!" The man stuttered, fearfully staring up at the man. Heather's breath hitched as the blade was held a hair's width from the man's face and forced the man to stand, staring him down. She could almost smell his fear. She glanced at her brother to see him barely masking his grin.

She was silently relieved when Viggo stepped back, lowering his sword, she feared she would've left the tent if something… gruesome took place. The man was led back outside after a nod from Viggo, voicing out his gratefulness at his mercy. Heather was completely surprised at that but quickly hid it as Viggo turned to look back at them.

"We're not animals," Viggo said, leading them out. "Rest. Much to discuss tomorrow."

She made a move to follow when a hand firmly landed on her shoulder, stopping her. "She can stay."

The two paused and she saw her brother eye the hand on her shoulder wearily before taking his leave, Ryker about to follow when he was stopped again by his brother. "Oh, and if our guest arrives, inform me right away." His brother grunted his affirmation and left.

Heather put a blank front as the hand shifted to wrap his arm around her shoulders. "Come. Walk with me."

Dagur watched the mellow scene with a sneer, ripping the meat from his yak leg. Even the meat here was tasteless. Ryker had left him without a word to check their supplies, now he stood, leaning against a barrel with the view of the docks and the sea before him. He was a hundred times more cautious about this Viggo character after meeting him. What's with that long monolog for anyway? Couldn't he have just said 'hey' and throw a welcoming party or something? Not to mention the way he looked at Heather, he thought angrily, sinking his teeth deep into the leg until he felt the bone. Who does that guy think he is?!

He suddenly paused and squinted, trying to make out the moving speck towards the horizon. For a few moments, he waited until the speck turned came closer, turning into a silhouette shape of a small ship. A sailboat, in fact, that looked like it could only hold three men- two if they weren't so broad shouldered.

The commotion on the deck indicated that they had spotted the foreign transport as well. He saw Ryker giving out orders and preparing the archers as he stood at the end of the wooden quay, sword at his side as the intruder neared. He leaned further back at the trunk, discarding his yak leg and watch the action unfold, sure that the larger man could handle one lost boatman. Dagur decided to get a better seat for the action about to occur, walking down to the end of the dock. Ryker noticed him and sneered, making him grin innocently.

"Ready the arrows!" Ryker ordered as the sailboat swam closer and Dagur rose his brow in surprise as he found the boat empty. He quickly took out his ax, shifting into his battle stance and inched closer to the boat. He watched Ryker cautiously lean to check the contents of the boat. Nothing but thick ropes and empty barrels.

Giving the boat one final scan, Ryker turned towards the hidden archers and waved a hand. "Stand down, it's nothing but a stray boat. Bring it in. We could tear it apart for firewood."

A loud thud came from behind them and Dagur immediately spun around, swinging his ax. The intruder stepped back to avoid the weapon, causing a reaction from the other hunters as the sounds of arrows being assembled cut through the night. Dagur took a moment to eye the person. They were covered by a furred cloak that looked like it was from a bear, from front to back, and a large hood hung low so that not even he could see it unless he crouched underneath to take a peek but he doubts he would see a face with the shadow it collected. There was nothing the stranger really showed since the cloak covered their entire body. If they stood still it would look like any other fur cloak standing on display, for not even their feet could be seen.

"Hold your fire!" Ryker shouted as he stood next to him, eyeing the figure with distaste and crossed his arms. "So you finally decided to show up, eh?"

Dagur eased up as he didn't hear any hostile tone in Ryker's voice and continued to eye the still figure. He was starting to get fidgety as the cloaked man stayed still as a statue. He saw the one sided staring contest between Ryker and the newcomer and decided to cut in, "So, uh, who is this exactly?"

"Our special guest," Ryker scoffed and walked towards the newcomer. "Follow me. Viggo's been waiting for you."


	4. Chapter 3

_Hope you're all have a great year so far! And thank you for those who pressed the follow and favorite button!_

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

 **Chapter Three**

 _Heads and Tails_

Dagur trailed behind the two, staring down the back of the cloaked stranger's head, so sure that they could feel his gaze but refused to acknowledge him and it made his blood boil. It had only been a few minutes and already the newcomer had gotten under the young chief's skin without knowing. Ryker didn't seem to care for his two followers, opting instead to stare straight ahead and look for his brother. They first went to his tent and found no traces of the head hunter. Ryker called to one of his men.

"Where's Viggo?" He had that rare ability to turn a question into an order.

The redhead rolled his eyes at the idle chatter and decided to keep an eye on the newcomer only to find them gone. Dagur scanned the area and saw them walking away. "Hey! He's getting away!" He ran towards the quickly retreating figure, their dark cloak made it so that they blended with the shadows.

A pair of feet followed after them along with the familiar grumbles from the dragon hunter. "Get back here you scum!"

For a moment Dagur thought he was shouting at him, and was about to return with some filthy insults of his own when he realized that the man was glaring at the cloaked figure, who didn't seem to be paying them any mind as they made their hasty escape. Dagur had managed to catch up to the man a handful of times but they managed to slip past his fingers by pulling back a branch and making it hit him square in the face. He cursed loudly, thinking of the many ways he could kill the nuisance.

They had arrived at a cliff with a dying fire on the side. The newcomer stopped once they caught sight of Viggo, who turned at the sound of Dagur's yelling and heavy footsteps, Heather standing beside him with a steely look. Viggo suddenly smiled and spread his arms.

"Ah, our awaited guest, how nice of you to finally join us. I trust your journey went smoothly?" Viggo greeted them like they were friends who haven't seen each other in a long time. But the person didn't return his welcome and stayed eerily silent as the man stepped closer to them.

Heather observed the newcomer, finding nothing to actually look at seeing as they were covered by their cloak from head to toe. That made her all the more wary of them and she stayed silent as the scene played before her.

"The rat's been running around all over the place-" Ryker started but was quickly silenced by Viggo's raised hand.

"Now, now, dear brother, they're our special guest, they've come a long way to meet us, we must show them our great hospitality." Heather nearly scoffed at that. If by 'great' he meant a lengthy dramatic introduction and the cruel sounds of punishment from a fellow dragon hunter, then sure, 'great' hospitality it is.

Viggo's attention turned back to their guest. "Come, you must be tired after your long journey, I've already prepared a tent for you and food will be provided." The person didn't acknowledge his words still and stayed in the same position.

Then, in a lightning quick movement, Heather caught the glint of steel and there was a thud. A decapitated head rolled towards Viggo's feet making her jump and gag. She heard Dagur make a disgusted noise and she forced herself to look. The head was already starting to rot, its features were frozen into a mid-scream, giving her a perfect view of the dead man's filthy yellow teeth. A line of dried blood trailed down from his mouth to his dirty beard, dead eyes looking up at Viggo, who merely stared at the head with a raised brow.

"I see you'd like to talk business first. Very well then, we'll discuss my plans in my tent." Viggo walked around the head and towards the figure, nodding to his brother. "Dispose of that will you, brother?"

His brother sneered as he watched the two walk off. The remaining three walked closer to observe the head.

"Who do you suppose this is?" Dagur said, eyeing the head with a hand on his chin. Heather scrunched her nose as the stench finally reached her and she tried to fan away the smell with her hand.

"He's a rotten spy, that's what he is," Ryker said. "The bastard's been sending information to the lesser dragon hunter groups. Good riddance."

"So Viggo's been hiring a bounty hunter to fix the leaks, huh?" Dagur mused, shifting the head with the toe of his boot. Heather cringed as the head's tongue lolled out.

"Aye, and he's leeching off a hefty amount of gold from us. Soon we'll be out of money if Viggo keeps hiring him to do the dirty work."

"I thought it was the person who offers the reward who gets to choose the price, not the other way around," Heather said, watching Ryker grab his sword and shifted it around the victim's head, lifting his sword so that they dangled by their knotted hair. The dragon hunter stared unflinchingly at the dead man's eyes as he began to walk to the main camp.

"This one's different. They call him 'The Phantom', they say he's the best in his profession and Viggo wants the best. Like one of our dragon auctions, Viggo had to place the highest bid to get the bastard. A waste if you asked me," Ryker scoffed and tossed the head to a nearby hunter's lap, causing him to shout in horror. "Get rid of it."

"And they allow him to have free reign over who sets the price? Wouldn't he have sailed to an island by now with all the gold he's been getting, since you did say this bounty hunter is a sought after hunter and, may I add, has expensive taste." Dagur said. Heather waited for his answer. She knew things were starting to get serious when bounty hunters started to get involved. She needed to gather as much information as she could.

"Ha! You two are pretty clueless about these things," laughed Ryker. "That filthy pile of dung owes none of his benefactors his allegiance. His loyalty lies within a man somewhere across the islands, that's where the money goes to. Whatever their master says, the Phantom follows. He's only for hire."

"So then what's the bad blood between you two?"

"There were rumors of him killing his benefactors, either because of orders from his master or because of their own free will. Swift and silent, that's his taste. Heard he robbed the last man of all his gold and everything in his name after he killed him. Heard that they even killed chieftains and kings," He looked pointedly at the Dagur, making the red head scowl. "Nothing good comes from low lives like him, if he even thinks about double crossing my brother, he'd be dead before he could lift his blade."

And with that, he walked off, leaving the siblings to their contrasting thoughts.

* * *

"Are you sure you weren't followed?"

Night had befallen the archipelago and on a lonely rock of an island, three dragon riders took their perch. They mounted off their dragons and walked to the middle of the clearing.

"I'm positive," Heather assured, running a hand against Windshear's cold and slender neck as the dragon bounded over to Toothless and Stormfly. "Besides, Viggo suspects Dagur and Ryker. He asked me to go with him to capture the Flightmare. Just me, Windshear and him." She got straight to the point, placing a hand on her hip.

"Flightmare? Why would Viggo want the Flightmare?"

"Hiccup, you're missing the point," Heather sighed.

"He does that from time to time," Astrid joked, smirking.

"N-No, I don't," he stuttered.

"Look," Heather cut in. She didn't have much time to relay the message if this takes too long the hunters would be suspicious and Viggo's plans aren't the only message she had to give. "It's me, Viggo and Windshear. The perfect time for an ambush."

"I agree, but how exactly does Viggo think the three of you are going to capture the Flightmare?"

"You haven't met Viggo Grimborn. He is a professional Dragon Hunter," Heather stressed.

"Right, but you're not going to actually let him capture it," Hiccup rose his brow making Heather scoff slightly.

"Of course not." Heather started to tell them the plan, showing them the map she created that showed the algae trail and the location the Flightmare will be. She handed him the map and breathed in to collect herself and prepare to deliver the other news.

"There's also something you need to know." Hiccup and Astrid paused, staring at her expectantly. "While I met with Viggo someone else came to the Dragon Hunter's Island. He's been the talk of the dragon hunters for weeks and yet even Dagur knows next to nothing about the guy. But I got some information about him from Ryker. He's a bounty hunter, Hiccup, Viggo hired him to do his bidding and… you should've seen..." She pushed down the imaged of the severed head, rotting and dead, a shiver running down her spine.

"A bounty hunter? Why would he need a bounty hunter when he's got hundreds of men following him?" Astrid asked.

"All I heard from Ryker is that Viggo has been using him to… take care of spies and two-timers. He's called 'The Phantom' and he's apparently the best there is in his profession, that's why Viggo wanted him so bad."

"I think I've heard that name before…" Hiccup said, brows pinching together as he tried to recall the memory.

"Just be careful, Hiccup. We barely know anything about Viggo and now we've got a bounty hunter in the picture"

"Don't worry, Heather, we will. As long as you do the same."

* * *

It was all chaos. Flaming boulders were catapulted to the sky as the dragon riders avoided both the poisoned arrows and the rampaging Flightmare. Everything was going to plan until the Flightmare was captured in their attempt to turn its allegiance to them. Now, Heather struggled against her bonds as a dragon hunter roughly pushed her inside the ship, Windshear's calls growing fainter as she was led below the ship. She jerked her shoulder with a dangerous growl as a dragon hunter once again tried to grab her shoulder.

"Ah, Heather, my dear, so glad you could join us." Her glare was instantly directed to the man seated behind the desk, a smirk on his face. Heather charged towards him with a battle cry when something flashed in the corner of her eye and she felt the ice cold steel press against her neck and stop her completely.

Her glaring eyes followed the blade of the dagger to the silver gauntleted hand that held it and finally, to the cloaked figure of the Phantom.

"Let's put our blades down, shall we and talk like grown ups," Viggo sighed, pointedly looking at the blade in the bounty hunter's hand.

Heather hissed as the blade nicked her when the hunter pulled his blade back with a flourish and sheathed it somewhere inside his cloak. He stepped back as Heather was shoved again by the dragon hunter behind her.

"Where are you taking me?"

"Back to the island, but first we'll take a small stop to a place called Dragon's Edge, ever heard of it?" His smirk widens as he sees her eyes widen. "Oh, you have! Excellent! We'll just drop by to pick something up, I'm sure you're familiar with it. The Dragon Eye, our boy Hiccup has come to call it."

She stayed silent, gritting her teeth.

A knock interrupted them and a gruff voice came from the other end of the closed door. "We're here, sir."

Viggo stood and nodded to the Phantom. "Keep an eye on her." He looked at the dragon hunter looming behind her. "And you, help with the search." The two left the room, leaving Heather glaring at the Phantom.

She tensed when he began to walk towards the desk, the sound his boots made against the wooden floor boards was like a Thunderdrum's roar. The muffled sounds of steel beneath the Phantom's cloak made her heart race. He leaned down and reached for something behind the desk. Her ax.

"Don't touch that!" She was ignored.

He weighed it in his hand and with the flick of his wrist, the second ax revealed itself, making Heather jump. A hand raised to run a finger along the blade, the sound of steel against steel made that awful screech that made Heather flinch.

"Who are you?"

He paused, lifting his finger off the blade. The hood moved to her direction, nothing but a dark shadow. She wondered it there was anything underneath that hood and fear suddenly touched Heather's chest. There must be a reason why he's called 'The Phantom' after all. Maybe behind his cloak and armor, there was just nothing.

He suddenly advanced towards her in two long strides, she took a fearful step back and loomed over her. He was an inch or two taller and she could feel his quiet breaths wash over her head and she froze.

"Get awa-" She gasps as the blade of her ax is once again poised under her chin. She leans away from the blade, baring her teeth when his hand gripped her arm firmly. The cold steel of his gauntlet wormed its way past the fabric of her sleeve and to her skin, making her hiss. "Don't touch me!" She struggled against his tightening grip. The blade pressed closer, threatening to widen the cut he inflicted on her neck. The hand ghosted down to her hip where her horn is attached and snatched it from its binding.

"Hey! Give that back! That's mi-" She was silenced as the flat side of the blade pressed against her lips and the Phantom let the tip run softly against her cheek.

He lifted the horn to inspect, halting until he caught sight of the carved seal. A steel covered thumb traced the tribe chief seal.

"Give. it. Back."

The Phantom slowly turned his head towards her and Heather watched, blood boiling and teeth gritting in anger, as he tucked the only remembrance she has of her real father inside his fur cloak. The door slammed open from behind them and Viggo entered looking disgruntled, along with Ryker.

"It's not there. Tell us where it is!" Ryker growled, moving towards the dragon rider.

"I don't know. For a group of dragon hunters you're pretty clueless when is comes to hunting things other than dragons" Her anger had yet to simmer down and she couldn't keep back the biting remark.

"Watch your mouth, girl." His tone was low and dangerous.

"Worry not, we'll have it soon enough. Now, get out of my sight and take the prisoner to her cell," said Viggo from his seat.

Heather was grabbed roughly by her shoulders and lead towards the door by Ryker, the Phantom had tucked away his blade and slink out the door once the command was giving. She was about to shout after him and demand her stolen horn when Viggo's smooth, ominous voice seem to almost echo behind her.

"We'll see how well your friend can play the game."


	5. Chapter 4

_Yo, it's been a while... Really have nothing to say to excuse the late update. Didn't feel like anybody was interested at the time and took a break, but I got back. I don't know when's the next update gunna be but I will say that I have no plans of abandoning this fic! I will see this through and it will be finished one way or another!_

 _Anyway, enjoy this and please leave a review._

* * *

 **Chapter Four**

 _Defeats Sits with Revelations_

"Oh, gods… I let it happen, I let it happen," Hiccup muttered from the entrance of the cave, fist itching to throw a punch at the stone wall he leaned on. For all his mistakes and missteps this had to be his biggest, so much more had been at risk and so much more could have been taken away all because he let it happen.

"Hey, you okay?" Astrid laid a hand on his shoulder.

Hiccup shook his head and walked up to face her, feeling her hand slid down. "No, I'm not. Astrid, I let it happen. I put Heather and Windshear in that position and now they're taken to gods knows where. I risked the Dragon Eye being taken. I fell for Viggo's plan." He let out a frustrated and regretful sigh, shoulders slumping as the burdens of his mistakes rested on them. "It's a mess."

He felt Toothless come up and rub his head against his hand to comfort him, but he felt that he didn't even deserve that. And instead of running his hand against the cool scaled like he would usually, he balled his fist until his knuckles were tight.

"You're right, it is." Hiccup shut his eyes tightly. It was different hearing it from her and made him more miserable. "But, if there's a mess, we clean it up. All of us. Together." His eyes snapped open and gazed wide eyed at her.

"We can get the 'A' Team from Berk, load up whatever weapons we can and go in, dragons blazing!" said Fishlegs, coming to stand next to Meatlug.

"Can I bring Macey? She's been begging to come along on a mission!" Tuffnut joined.

"No. No, we're not going anywhere. Nobody's going anywhere," Hiccup cut in. They all watched him in disbelief making him falter. "N-Not yet anyway. Think about it. We do what we do really well. We're a pretty smart group. We're fast, we're fearless and we ride dragons." He could see the rest starting to puff with pride and he almost hated to cut it off. "But this guy, Viggo, he manipulated us like we were a bunch of inexperienced little kids. If we have any chance against him, we can't go in, dragons blazing like we usually do…. That could get Heather and Windshear killed. That could get one of us killed."

"So you just want to leave Viggo to hunting and hurting dragons at will? You want to do nothing?" Astrid stepped up.

"I want to do the right thing," said Hiccup firmly. "And that it's going to take some thinking." He walked away from the group to his hut, his mind already concocting plans against Viggo and the other threat against them.

* * *

Heather slumped against the bars of her dragon proofed cage, feeling so weak and defeated. The mission ended in a disaster, she's stuck as a prisoner in enemy territory, her dragon was not beside her and brother's blowing words hurt more than they should have. Her knuckles turned white from how hard she clenched her fists, trying to stop from letting the tears fall.

A rapping from the other side of the cage made her jump, glare already poised to the figure at the door of her cage.

"What do you want," she growled, not bothering to hide the venom in her voice.

The Phantom stood with the light behind him, giving him a grim-like shadow that loomed over her. A plate of scraps was held in his right hand, from what she could see it held a thick bone with barely any meat and half a loaf of bread. He didn't say anything, she shouldn't really be surprised, and merely stepped closer, crouching and slid the plate through the gap, obviously for her.

"You won't get away with this, or Viggo, my friends will come for me!"

He stood and turned to walk away. His dismissal made Heather's anger bubble and she gritted her teeth to keep from screaming at him. Her hands instead wrapped around a sizable rock, consumed by her anger from the days' failures, she threw it to the Phantom and if she weren't so angry she would have been surprised when the rock hit his shoulder painfully, making him stumble, instead she felt a thread of satisfaction next to her anger.

The bounty hunter whirled around and braced himself against the cage, steel covered hands gripped the bars of the cage and he shook in anger that the bars rattled. Heather cowered as she heard his deep heavy breaths. In a flash, he sheathed a long blade that he held past the bars, the sharp tip poised over the gap between her eyes. Heather gasped, trying to step back but found that she was already pressed against the back of the dragon proofed cage.

"I-If Viggo finds me dead, he'll know it's you," she gulped, trying to be brave. "I'm not afraid of you."

The blade was steady, not even a quiver. It didn't move from where it was pointing its deadly tip, so close to leaving with a killing blow, but the blade lowered. Heather had only a second to clearly see the new weapon. Clearly well taken care of and sharpened, she was sure it could cut through scrap as if it were a spare bit of parchment. Her eyes caught the carving of something in its golden handle, a red gem at the handle that was encircled by a peculiar pattern of curves. She took a breath as the blade disappeared from underneath the cloak, stopping her observations and the Phantom crouched once again and took the plate from its place. He stood and stared her down, wordlessly speaking the words that hung in the air.

 _You should be._

He walked away, rounding a corner before disappearing from her sight. She watched him go with a glare before dropping down and curling her arms around her knees, trying to stop the pain in her belly as it rumbled in hunger. She'll get out of here. Her and Windshear.

* * *

He walked back to the camp, plate still in hand when a voice called from his far right. Ryker and the Berserker chieftain walked towards him, the redhead almost swaggering.

"Did you bring the food to the prisoner?" Ryker asked gruffly. His eyes caught the plate of measly food still in his hands and he glared at the Phantom. "I gave you orders you-"

He didn't get to finish as he abruptly threw the plate in the fire and walked past them. Ryker growled at his disrespect.

"Chatty little thing, isn't he?" Dagur mused, raising a brow. The bounty hunter had already disappeared, almost out of thin air, probably to scope out the base.

"He hasn't made a peep since day one. Got an idea that he got his tongue ripped out of his mouth," Ryker scoffed.

A hunter passed by with a plate for himself and Ryker snatched the plate from his hands, giving the hunter a menacing look when he opened his mouth to protest, making him quickly scurry away. He shoved the plate to Dagur, who barely caught it. "Take it to the prisoner. See that you follow orders better than that low-life."

Dagur began to protest but Ryker had already begun to walk away. He scowled and walked back to the cages. Heather sat curled in the corner, away from the cage door, almost invisible as she sat in the shadows. He watched her for a moment before dropping the plate and kicking it to slide past the gap, most of its contents spilled but the food was reachable. He clicked his tongue when she didn't even jump, turning away and missing the tears that flowed down her cheeks.

* * *

 _No one is irreplaceable._

Those were Viggo's words that kept repeating in Dagur's head. A rumble echoed around the cave as it shook from the battle above them. He looked over his shoulder, Heather followed him with blank eyes downcast. A pair of menacing dragon hunters followed from behind her. Dagur clenched his fists and turned to the group, pointing towards the next turn, which was blindly followed.

"Wait a minute.."

"This isn't what Viggo-"

Dagur grabbed both their heads and slammed them against each other. He let them fall on the cold floor with a scoff, "Too bad I no longer care what Viggo has to say!" Sharp green orbs found Heather, who cowered under his stare as she spotted the ax in his hand.

"Dagur- Dagur wait!" She lifted her hands to shield herself as he lifted the weapon and brought it down to free her from her shackles. She looked shocked that he almost laughed, but instead brought his fingers to his lips and gave a loud whistle. Her dragon came bounding and its rider gave a happy shout, meeting her half way with a tight embrace.

Dagur caught his sister's eye one last time, silently making a promise before dashing off deeper into the darkness of the cave. He hid behind one of the rocks as a flurry of hunters ran past, shouting orders that grew fainter as they ran deeper. His destination was two turns away until he reached the port where he would steal one of the ships. He skidded to a stop as he took the last turn, spotting a figure blocking his way to the port.

It was the Phantom.

"You better move out of my way if you know what's good for you," he warned, holding his blade in front of him.

The Phantom shifted and brandished his long sword with a quick flick of his wrist. The moonlight caught the deadly curve of its blade, it was almost winking at him in mocking. Dagur gave out his battle cry and charged to bounty hunter, ax raised. He brought it down with a deadly swing, but it was caught easily by the sword, it was stronger than it looked. He pushed away from his enemy, swinging his leg for a low kick, which was kicked away by another leg. Trying to regain his balance, he missed the quick jab of the Phantom's long blade to his shoulder. He cried out in pain, quickly laying a hand on the flesh wound. He spotted his blood already coated in his fine blade, but he saw his opportunity and ran to the dock, tumbling down as his foot caught on a rock. There was a tug on his tunic and a rip as he separated himself from the clutches of the Phantom.

Quickly, he boarded on one of the smaller ships, looking over his shoulder and spotted the Phantom standing on the entrance of the cave, never pursuing him the moment he escaped from him. Dagur sighed with relief, but his eyes caught the ripped fabric clutched in the Phantom's hand.

Dagur looked onward.

* * *

Hiccup didn't feel the sting of the cold wind or the concerned rumbling of his dragon companion, all he felt was the anger and the disappointment that settled in his stomach ever since they left Viggo's base. The Dragon Eye was gone. Snatched right out of his hands. A silver flash flew past him and he eyes Windshear and Heather. At least there were some victories to this, but the defeat was still great.

"I can hear you still worrying about it," Astrid said to his left as she flew closer with Stormfly. "We'll get it back Hiccup. We just need some time to rest and sort our heads back at the Edge."

Hiccup stayed silent but nodded to acknowledge her words. He gripped the straps of his saddle tightly, knuckles turning white. Toothless whined and Hiccup absentmindedly patted the side of his neck to comfort him. Next time, he'll play as Viggo wanted, only he won't know what will hit him.

The sun was just peeking over the horizon when Hiccup saw Heather fall behind. He caught her eye and she gestured to the small growth of an island for a conversation with him. He nodded, urging Astrid to keep going when she turned in question. They both landed, the dragons immediately resting on their bellies as they felt the weariness in their bones after the last night's mission.

"What is it, Heather?"

"I'm sorry, Hiccup," Heather said, eyes down cast.

"Heather, no, it's not-"

"No, Hiccup, just let me say it..." she sighed and Hiccup let her take a moment, feeling the tiredness settle in his bones. "I won't be joining you back to the Edge. I just need... I need some time to my self."

Hiccup was silent for some time as he stared at Heather, who fidgeted under his gaze. "Alright, okay... I understand, just please be careful."

Heather smiled softly, taking his hands in hers. "Thank you." Her eyes turned hard and serious, once more. "But before I leave, I need to tell you something..."

"What is it?" Hiccup was alert once more at her tone and he looked her in the eye.

"It's about the Phantom. When they locked me away, he came to send my meal and I saw his blade. It had a weird insignia at the handle, it struck something with me, it was familiar. And it wasn't until later until I realized where I've seen it," she said, and a haunted look entered her eye that greatly disturbed him. "Ryker said that the Phantom was for hire way back and that his boss is somewhere far away and that symbol was from the Blood Striders."

Hiccup felt his blood grow cold. "Are you sure? B-But they don't go past their borders to the Archipelago. They can't."

"I saw it with my own eyes, Hiccup. It was on his blade. He's from the Charybdis Chain and he's in league with _them_ , so Viggo..."

"Has friends in high places," Hiccup said solemnly. There was no denying it, he couldn't just dismiss Heather's word for nothing. People from the Charybdis Chain were not somebody anyone wanted to come across. It's where every bad thing you could possibly think of was dumped. The most disgusting crimes, thieves, murderers, slave traders, that's where their kingdom is, a corrupt empire with the Blood Striders being the top dog. They had free reign over everything, they were basically the most elite, trained to kill anything and everything as long as you had the money. And Viggo does have what they're looking for.

"Be careful, Hiccup, please. Promise me," Heather's eyes turned desperate as it searched for confirmation from him. "You know what you're dealing with is dangerous, so please."

The Blood Striders were good at what they do because they always do the job, no matter what it takes. That's why they're so sought after when you want someone gone for good. Men, Women, Children, Beggars, Kings, or Dragons. It doesn't matter because they don't hesitate. There's nothing to lose, only gain. And if the Phantom is being sent after Hiccup, then...

Then they'll have to think again because Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III will not be going anywhere.

Hiccup nodded firmly, eyes hard with determination as he stared at Heather. "I promise, Heather. I'll be careful."

Heather searched for something in his eyes a moment more, and she seemed to have found it because she nodded and pulled back, heading to Windshear, who perked at the sight of her drawing near. She mounted her dragon and stared softly at Hiccup. "I'll see you around then."

"See you," he nodded and watched her take flight. He felt Toothless' warm head press against his side and he laid a hand on his head. Hiccup sighed heavily and mounted Toothless, taking into the air and followed the others, who must already be at the base.

"Oh, Toothless... what are we going to do?" Hiccup asked wearily. He received a soft whine in response.

Miles away, Dagur the Deranged dragged himself to the shores of the island, coughing out sea water and collapsing on the sand. The distant sound of the destruction of his ship reached his ear and he sat himself up just in time to witness his freedom drown and exchange it with the seal to his stranded state. He clenched his fists, feeling his nails digging into his flesh and let out a wild cry into the sky.

He'll pay.


End file.
